Tips for keeping our baby warm, but reducing heating costs.

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Usually my DH and I leave it quite late to put heating on, and put it on quite a low temperature, prefering to wear layers / deal with being cold / go out the house a lot to try and keep heating costs down.

This year with a small baby we're finding we need the house to be warmer, and thus have the heating on more as we don't want baby being cold and she can't use heated blankets / usual methods of heating but what with the rising bills, reduced funds due to mat leave, and wanting to keep baby warm.

We're not eligable for Warm Homes Discount as have a house deposit in savings thus not on benefits.

Any and all suggestions welcome to help us keep heating costs down but most importantly keeping our baby warm.

Baby gro's help keep them warm at night

Layers. Long sleeved vests under fleecy sleepsuits. How old is baby? A non mobile baby can be on a playmat/in a bouncy chair with a blanket.

Tights and/or socks under an outfit. They can't pull tights off either.

Can you maybe limit which rooms you keep the baby in, so you only have to heat those rooms?

Use a room thermometer and guidance on internet…you can layer baby up according to the temperature. When our dc was a baby I was surprised at how cold the recommended room temp is for babies anyway.

I’ve got electric fan heater and I’ve set it up in the smallest bedroom in the house during the day and we spend hours in there instead of heating the whole house. Find somewhere warm to stay for a few hours, a cafe or children’s centres. Night time, we put a few blankets on top of the sleeping bag.

DD was 4 weeks old when we lost power (and therefore heating) during the 'beast from the east'.

She had a long sleeve bodysuit, fleece sleepsuit, a swaddle wrap and a fleece sleepsac that my aunt in Canada had made and sent over. Plus a waffle blanket tucked over and around her.

Fortunately she rarely pooped overnight, otherwise it would have been a nightmare!!

Second/third fleece onesies. And if they're small enough keep the scratch mitts on. We did a blanket well tucked in over the sleeping bag too. Heavy curtains if you can afford to find some.

I used Grobags with mine- baby sleeping bags. Come in different tog ratings too

Thanks all.
We have a 4m old so not mobile yet.
She's in a growbag (2.5 tog), vest, and sleepsuit at night and it's 17 degrees.
Night isn't too bad as I can layer extra blankets if needed.
Daytimes no idea how to layer. She's in a longsleeve vest, and then 2 x onesies most of the day, but her hands are so cold!

When we go out I put her in her pramsuit, but in the house it's too warm, and I try and go somewhere warm everyday but also trying not to spend too much on baby groups.

I'll try the electric heater - good shout!

Don't worry about her hands. It's her tummy you need to feel to check her temperature. I think, at present, I have her in a short sleeved vest with a long sleeved t-shirt or onesie on top, then add a cardigan if it feels a bit cooler.

I bought a long-sleeved sleeping bag for my baby for winter nights. I think it was 3.5 tog.

Day time I'd recommend a tuppence and crumble star wrap. DD lived in one for her first couple of months and as she got older we still used them (had all 3 sizes) for napping in pushchair and when she was in ergo carrier or backpack carrier. Easy on and off, and nice and cosy.

oooh the star wrap looks amazing!
i'll look out for 3.5 tog sleeping bags - only seen 2.5 in shops so far.

Use your own body heat! Baby in wrap on your chest will keep both of you warm 😊

By wrap, I mean wrap sling/carrrier thing.

JoJo mamam Bebe did some high tog sleeping bags with long sleeves that were detachable. DD had one for her second winter, so around age 1. I found it on eBay, and it was amazing.

www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/dinosaur-print-cosy-3-5-tog-baby-sleeping-bag-e2922.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJOMBhCZARIsAGEd4VGWDBIv7cqqKwHl5EQmIZyTwCFlwhFaujk0-KYgOUX3FWZjBqXkHcsaAln-EALw_wcB

JoJo-m-b also do the best fleece trousers for when your little one is a bit bigger.

Babies will generally let you know when they are a little bit too cold, especially by that age.

During the day i do vest/sleepsuit or top/leggings or dress with thick tights then a cosy cardi and socks over tights/sleepsuit etc. Dd is almost 6m

You know that cooler rooms are actually safer for sleeping (within reason of course) so don’t worry. Second the option of layers and grobags for night. You can get them second hand to save on cost.

It doesn’t matter if her hands are cold. If she’s truly cold, she’ll complain about it.

I second pp who says don’t go off her hands, put your fingers on her chest or back and see if she feels cool there. You don’t want to over heat her if its just her hands.
Heatwise, i got some slipper socks for my ds and put them over his sleepsuit. I’d also do layers such as vest, babygrow, cardi. If it gets really cold pop a hat on.

I’ve got electric fan heater and I’ve set it up in the smallest bedroom in the house during the day and we spend hours in there instead of heating the whole house.

www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-2084772/Is-radiator-electric-fan-heater-cheaper.html

its probably cheaper to run the central heating